Weight loss in old age linked to dementia

New research has claimed older people who are thinner or losing weight quickly are at a higher risk of developing dementia.

The report published in the journal Neurology claims the risk is also higher for those who were overweight or obese earlier in life.

For their study, researchers followed 1,836 Japanese Americans in Washington with an average age of 72 for eight years.

They found those with lower body mass index (BMI) at the beginning of the study were 79 per cent more likely to develop dementia than those with higher scores.

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In addition, those who lost weight over the study period at a faster rate were nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than those who lost weight more slowly over time.

Researchers claimed the result was also more pronounced in those who were overweight or obese to start with; those with a BMI of 23 or higher had an 82 per cent reduced risk of developing the disease compared to those who were normal or underweight.

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Commenting on the study, Tiffany Hughes, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said: 'Our finding suggests that losing weight quickly in older age may be an early sign of dementia.

'This doesn't mean that being obese or overweight is healthy for the mind or body, but losing weight may be a sign of emerging brain disease.'

Ms Hughes said other current research shows that, in contrast, a larger belly in midlife may be a risk factor for dementia.

'Dementia has been shown to develop in the brain decades before any symptoms develop,' she added.

'These findings likely reflect that process. In middle age, obesity may be a risk factor for dementia, while declining weight in late life may be considered one of the first changes from the disease that occurs before it actually affects a person's memory.'

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